Traveler's Secret
by Xealvi
Summary: Lloyd is a merchant who feels like he's missing something in life. Amir is a prince looking for something missing in his heart. At first glance you wouldn't think so, but they share a secret that they can't tell. Until someone finds out.
1. Winter 1st

**A/N: Okay, this is going to be my first fanfic with characters from Grand Bazaar. I hope you all like it, because I'm going to add a twist into the Harvest Moon stories that I don't think ANYONE has tried before! Please read, and thank you! No, I do not own Harvest Moon. If I did, you can bet that I would _not_ have the main girl character dressed in all pink. *shudders* So don't sue me and enjoy!  


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**Winter 1****st****, Tuesday**

**Lloyd**

I open my eyes and blink to my blurry surroundings. Blindly, I reach over to my bedside table and fumble around for my glasses. My fingers brush up against the familiar cold edge of the arm of my glasses. Quickly, I pick them up and place them snugly on my nose.

The world around me snaps into clarity. My bedroom seems to jump into existence around me and as always, I'm startled by how amazing the world looks when you can see.

With a yawn, I climb out of bed. I don't have to check my alarm clock as I head to the bathroom for a shower; I knew it was six in the morning, the same time I always woke up at.

Once I'm in the shower, the steamy water wraps me around in a blanket of warmth. It feels so good; especially since fall had ended and the harsh winter weather had decided to settle in. But I do have to get out.

Outside the shower, I saunter back into my room to change. Barely ten minutes had passed since I woke up; but it hardly mattered. Time passed slowly in this little town.

With a leisurely pace that I would never have allowed myself in any other city, I change. My traditional robes I put on smell a bit like lavender and it reminds me of home. With a slight smile, I think fondly back on my youth as I continue to change. I have a beige shawl that I wrap around my shoulders and matching moccasins that I slip on my feet. As a finishing touch, I place my blue turban on my head.

In the mirror, my black and blue robe seems so familiar even though to most people it would seem foreign. Because it was. I was from a foreign land; and Zephyr Town was like no place I'd ever encountered before.

I have a red sash around my turban that used to be my mother's. She gave it to me when I left home nearly ten years ago.

Remorsefully I turn away from my pale skin, raven black hair and amethyst eyes that reminded me of her to head into my kitchen for breakfast.

My schedule was the same as it had been since I moved to this town in Spring of this year. It got a little repetitive at times, but it was peaceful. And the bazaar was something I really looked forward in the town. It was the reason I decided to stay here.

I take some leftover chicken out of the fridge. It wasn't the best breakfast in the world; I knew that. But it was food and I didn't have fun else. I'd have to make some more money at the bazaar this week so that I could buy some food.

I've managed to finish my meager piece of chicken when the door to my quaint little log house flies open. I can hear the bang from the kitchen where I'm washing my dishes.

"Come in." I yell out to the person as I hear the door shut behind them.

"Sorry Lloyd." The familiar optimistic voice calls out to me. "But you're always up at a quarter to seven! I didn't think it would be a big deal."

I gently shake my head as I dry my hands on a towel after placing the cleaned dish back in a drawer. With the towel still in my hands, I walk out into the main room where Anita is gazing admiringly around my house.

She turns and smiles at me, her wide grin only highlighting her deep chocolate brown eyes that contrasted with her strawberry blonde hair. Anita wore a hot pink sweater over a plain white t-shirt with gray pants and purple sneakers. There was also a vibrant purple hat askew on her head. A yellow flower design decorated the hat, as well as a single white feather that poked out of the top. Personally I thought it was an odd way for a farmer to dress; but I guess I couldn't talk.

Confidently she places her hand over her rucksack that hung by her side. "Your house is so amazing! I can't believe you've really traveled to all these places." Anita gestures to all the little trinkets I have adorning my house.

I smile at her. "Thanks Anita. But you tell me this every day. Don't you get tired of it?"

This makes her laugh for some reason. "Of course not! It's true every day! You're my best friend; it would be rude of me not to compliment you."

That makes me chuckle. "You best friend, eh?" Wonder if she'd say the same thing about me if she knew the truth…

"Of course silly." Then she reaches into her rucksack and pulls out a small gold coin. Anita tosses it into the air and I catch it with a practiced hand.

I turn the coin over in my hands, smiling to myself at the intricate designs on the small object. My face has a huge grin plastered over it when I look up at her. "You don't have too keep giving me these gifts every day you know?"

She grins. "But I love seeing your face light up like that. Everyone deserves to smile like that."

"That's why you give everyone in town a gift every day, right?"

"Precisely!"

We both start laughing. It was true; Anita was my best friend in Zephyr town, but I still hadn't told her my secret. Hell, I hadn't told my own parents my secret. I don't know if I could tell anyone.

She walks over to me and hugs me for a second. I hug her back; both of us knowing that the hug was nothing other than a gesture of friendship. The whole village thought we were falling in love; but we weren't. I knew that Anita had a crush on the artist Angelo on the outskirts of town. And I…well, it just wouldn't happen.

"Well, I have to go visit everyone else. And I have to make sure I catch Freya, Ivan and Claude before they go to the city for work! It is Tuesday you know."

With that little reminder, Anita bounds happily out of my house and into the winter snow. I shake my head slightly when the door slams shut behind her from the force of the wind. She was just a little ball of sunshine that girl. But without her, the town would never be the same.

For the next couple hours, I go through my catalog of stuff at my house for the bazaar on Saturday. Most of the stuff that I plan on selling would end up being a bunch of different ores that I had a friend ship to me. There was no mine around here, so these ores are very valuable and sell for a lot of money.

Around noon I leave my house. I knew I was supposed to go into the city today to pick some stuff up; but I really didn't feel like it. I had to go on Wednesday anyway, so I'd go then.

My feet take me to Joan's Zephyr Café. Normally, I'm only here on Friday's so both Marian and Joan are surprised to see me.

"Lloyd!" Marian cries as she runs over to peck me on both sides of the cheek. She didn't mean anything by it; that's just how she was. Besides, she was about ten years older than me and…she _was_ a girl. So I don't care.

"Lloyd? What are you doing here?" Joan asks me from beside her counter.

I smile. "Just stopped in for a bite to eat."

That makes them both laugh. "One order of Paella coming up!" Marian tells me as she walks into the back kitchen.

I smile as I sit down in one of the cute little chairs. Joan was Marian's grandmother and together they ran the little café. Both were blondes with soft brown eyes and both had an old age style of dressing that clearly marked them as family.

It was very moving to me that Marian already knew my favourite food and was willing to make it for me. That was a good thing about small towns. The community was so close knit; everyone knew just about everything about each other. But this only makes it odder that no one had found out my secret yet…

"Here you go Lloyd!" Marian gently places my dish in front of me; jolting me out of my morbid thoughts.

"Thanks Marian." She waves it off like it was nothing and sits down beside me. "Do you mind?" She asks me, her face flowing with warmth and security.

"Nah, go ahead." I nod as I pass her a fork. We both dive into the meal together without either of us saying a word for a minute.

Then she speaks. "So how're things with Anita?"

I chew my food slowly; savoring the delicious bite as I ponder her question. "What do you mean?" Is my answering question as I take another bite.

Her face scrunches up while she thinks; her mouthful of food forgotten just before entering her mouth. "Aren't you two dating?" Then her food goes into her mouth at the same moment that I nearly choke on mine.

"D-dating?" The complete horror of it all comes crashing down on me and I shudder in utter distaste. "Ugh no. I don't think of her like that _at all!_ We're just friends."

She chuckles lightly. "That's what they all say." Then she pats me lightly on the back and sets down the fork. "But I believe you. Sorry I asked."

Marian gets up from the table and leaves me to finish my meal in peace. But I feel like I've just lost my appetite. The mere _idea_ of me dating Anita made me want to vomit. It's just gross.

Disgusted, I slap down some cash for the food and then jet out of that house. Still slightly disturbed, I head back to my house near the waterfall.

The first person that comes into my sight is Sherry. I smile and wave at the girl standing near the crashing falls. She catches sight of me and waves back.

I walk up to her easily after crossing a small bridge. She looks over at me and smiles, dimples appearing in her cheeks. Her bronze eyes were alight with laughter and her radiant orange hair tumbled down her back in waves.

Sherry was dressed in a very easy blue dress with a strawberry necklace that used to belong to her mother. It reminds me of the sash I have wrapped around my turban. She also had a blue hat placed atop her head, all adorned with little white flowers.

"Lloyd, I thought you were in town today?" She asks me as she turns her gaze back to the waterfall.

I shrug carelessly. "I didn't feel like it."

Sherry turns her head towards me and raises an eyebrow. "Is the traveling merchant really getting lazy? I don't believe I can believe what I'm hearing!"

I just chuckle; by her tone, I can tell that she's joking but that she still wanted an answer. "I don't know Sherry. I am going to the city tomorrow, so I thought I'd just take the day off."

She laughs. "This coming from the person who always complains about how nothing ever happens in this town." She shakes her head and continues to laugh under her breath.

I sigh. "Because it's true! This is a sleepy old town when the bazaar isn't in session; and that's only one day a week!"

Sherry shrugs now. "That's just how this town is. I wouldn't change it." Then she pats my shoulder. "I'm going to go meet Antoinette at her house to talk about some stuff."

With that, she leaves me with a wave.

I sigh and kick a pebble into the river, letting the sounds of the roaring waves wash over my body. It was rather calming, and I was glad that the water didn't stop flowing even when the ground hardened and snow started falling.

Deep in thought, I gaze into the depths of the water and speak quietly to myself as the air around me turns bitter and the sky darkens. "While I wouldn't change this town, I wouldn't say no to a little excitement."

I turn my head towards the sky; not surprised at all by the starry night sky that greets my eyes. While this town moved slowly, time moved fast if you just got lost in the flow of things.

My feet trudge through the thin layer of snow as I drag myself across the short ridge to my house. Inside, warm air greets me and I thank whatever god there was that I had put the air conditioning timer to start earlier.

I traverse the hard wood floor to my bedroom. With my mind completely off in another world, I undress and toss my robe into the laundry. I had a bunch more outfits exactly like it. However, I do take my mother's sash and place it gently onto my bedside table.

After turning off all the lights in the house, I climb wearily into my bed. It had been my first lazy day; and I was exhausted. Not a good thing.

I take my glasses off to place them on the bedside table for the night. The world becomes fuzzy again and I shut my eyes to stop my head from hurting. The darkness around me is very relaxing and I find myself being quickly lulled to sleep.


	2. Winter 2nd

**A/N: Hehe, this chapter was fun to write. The POV will be from Amir this chapter and after this each chapter will alternate between Lloyd's and Amir's POV. I hope you're all enjoying my first Grand Bazaar story! :D**

**Disclaimer: Again, I do not own Harvest Moon. If I did you can bet that I would make the bachelors FAR more attractive. Though Vaughn(sunshine islands) is already pretty good. :) Anyway, on to the story!

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**Winter 2****nd****, Wednesday**

**Amir**

My eyes snap open to the blanket of darkness that seemed to smother me. Without making a single noise, I shoot from my makeshift bed on the ground. I'm already dressed as I slept in my clothes; just in case something like this happened.

Silently, I crouch to the ground and turn my head slightly so as to capture the sound better. All around me the trees seem to be enveloped in the very same darkness that was attempting to smother me. It seemed a bit odd that it could be so dark even though the snow seemed to illuminate the ground. But my eyes couldn't penetrate the darkness more than a few feet in front of me; so my hearing would have to be keen.

My body stiffens when I hear the sound again. The ever slight cracking sound. A sound that a twig makes when someone steps on it and breaks it in half.

I react immediately even as my mind begins to plan out a dozen or more moves ahead of me. My few possessions are wrapped around in a blanket and stored in a small bag in a matter of seconds; and silently too. All my senses on high alert, I sling the bag over my shoulder and tightly secure it in place. With that, I run at the closest tree.

At the last possible second, I jump into the air; the motion making the slightest whoosh. My fingers grasp the bottom branch and I swing myself up onto its level. Quickly, I begin to climb higher into the tree.

Branch after branch assists me in my flight, even as the rustling of the leaves and the loosening of snow threatens to give me away. The bark of the trees scratches at my hands and I pray that they won't begin to bleed. It would only leave them one more way to track me down.

I can tell I'm near the highest point of the tree when a meager ray of sunshine hits my face and makes me blink in annoyance. At that point, I turn and jump to the tree closet to me.

The rush of being in the air with nothing around me sends my heart pounding, even as I land on the thick branch of the other tree. With a slight smug smile on my face; I jump again.

And so I begin to run away from my pursuit. I'm not proud of my methods; but unfortunately what I was doing wouldn't ever be approved. But I had to leave. There was something; something out there that was calling to me. I had to know what it was.

I'm so absorbed in my thoughts that I don't see the trap until it's too late. I vault myself into the next tree, but the second that my feet make contact with the bark; I realize that I've placed my foot inside of a rope.

I'm yanked downwards, and my breath is taken from me; as well as my stomach. I fall down to the ground; and not at all gently.

I see the ground rushing towards me even as the air blows past me. My eyes wide in fright, I throw my hands over my face in a pointless attempt to protect myself.

Abruptly, I stop falling and I'm jerked backwards. My foot burns from the rope and is throbbing slightly. I hoped it wasn't broken.

My hands drop from my face and fall above my head. That's right; I was hanging upside down from a rope attached to my foot.

Furious, I begin to mumble to myself. I can't believe I got caught this easily! And this was my best escape attempt so far! Then I remember something. Quickly, I pat my chest and I nearly sigh in relief when my fingers trace the vague outline of the knife I had hidden there.

So I begin to wait. I look down and see that my fingers were only a couple inches away from touching the frost covered ground. That could be useful. As, I gaze around my upside down world, I can feel blood draining to my head even as the area I'm in begins to get lighter with the rising of the sun.

I hear the sound of the footsteps on the ground before I see the man. Or men. A little more than half a dozen men in royal uniforms appear out of the bush before me.

Ticked, I cross my arms in front of my chest; even though it was hard to do so upside down. Then, I speak with a commanding voice. "You took your sweet time getting here. Now I command you to let me down."

One of the men laughs and all the others copy him. I roll my eyes; seriously, was that even necessary?

I frown as that same man as he begins to speak. He seems to be the leader. "Sorry your highness, but we can't let you don't quite yet. There's someone who wants to speak with you."

That takes me aback. Someone wanted to speak with me? That was absurd. This had never happened before.

The crowd of royal guards suddenly part and a man appears from out of the darkness. I swallow hard when I recognize the silver hair, piercing blue eyes and harsh weather worn bronzed skin that all belonged to me. My father was standing in front of me.

"Amir Ranjit Raj Singh." My father speaks my full name like an oath; only uttered when absolutely needed and of the foulest significance.

"Amir is fine father. There's no need to be so formal." I spread my arms wide as if to indicate that I was helplessly trapped.

My father examines me with a look of utter distaste. "What are these robes that you're wearing Amir?"

I glance down, or up, at the clothes I was wearing. On my legs, I wore loose white pants that tightened around my ankle. My feet were covered by delicate yet sturdy black moccasins. I also wore a red shirt tied with a yellow sash and a white vest with intricate blue designs covering it.

I raise my white eyebrows as I look back to my father. The pounding in my head was getting annoying, but I could withstand it for this.

"These are my simple robes father. I'm going to travel." Then I glare at him, my cold blue eyes staring straight at his icy blue ones. For once, my silver hair is out of my eyes, so I can glare at him better.

"Travel?" He scoffs. "No son of mine is going to travel. You're going to come home right this instant and take your rightful place on the throne. No more of these running away episodes."

I growl at him; the absurdity of the idea almost makes me laugh. "Father, I do no wish to rule. Let my brother rule in my place."

My father sticks his high and mighty nose into the air; like I'd suggested I put shit in charge. "Your brother is not fit to rule."

"Why? He is certainly more fit to rule than I." I think fondly back on my brother for a moment. He was the only reason I had endured my father; until now.

My father snorts and a frown starts to etch its existence on my face. "Your brother is not the eldest of my children; therefore making him unfit to rule. So says the law."

"Screw the law!" I cry out, throwing my arms into the air for emphasize. Though I realize it would have been more effective if I'd been on the ground. "Azhar is smarter than me, and he's more dedicated to our country than I am! He's wanted to rule his entire life and if you actually spent some time with him you might know that!" I pause, my eyes narrowing at my father in hatred. "Just because Mom died giving birth to him doesn't mean you have to act like a bastard to him."

His eyes flare up in anger at that, and his hand lashes out and slaps me across the cheek. My head reacts and moves with it; it stung but I'd taken more than that from my father before for my brother.

I continue to speak; spite dripping from my voice. "Yet she gave birth to me too that night; but you don't hate me. Only because I'm a mere ten minutes older. As if that makes a difference."

He slaps me again; only the opposite way this time. Now both side of my face ache, but I wasn't going to give up. Let him slap me all he wants; I'm not going to rule.

"Azhar loves you father. God knows why; but he's wanted to follow in your footsteps since he was a young boy. Let him rule. He's better for our country." My voice goes softer at the mention of my brother. My whole world. He was the one who finally convinced me to leave. He knew something was wrong with me; even if I couldn't tell him. Sweet Azhar just wanted me to be happy.

My father stiffens and sticks his arrogant nose back in the air. "Only my eldest son may take the throne."

I snort. "Then I'm not your son anymore."

For once, a look pf pain crosses my father's face. It shocks me; he never displayed any emotion of pain at all. Or any emotion other than power and arrogance.

"You can't do that." His voice is noticeably lowered and I can almost hear a strain of emotion behind the words.

I shake my head. "I'm sorry your Majesty. But I'm afraid I don't know you." I stare him down, willing myself not to let tears escape from my eyes. While I didn't get along with my father, I still loved him and it was hard for me to make this choice. But I had discussed it with Azhar before and while he would be sad about it; if it was what I wanted he wouldn't stop me.

Then my father stiffens and all possible emotion I might have seen is swept away. He motions to a few of the guards. "I'm afraid I can let you do that son."

I sigh as a couple of the guards begin to surround me. Looks like I'd have to take the hard way out. In one swift motion, I yank my knife out of the folds of my shirt and cut the rope that hung me in the air.

With a thud I land on the ground, tasting the bitter snow. Even though my head throbs violently as the blood rushes back to my body, I spring upwards to meet my attackers.

The first guard that comes at me finds himself sprawled across the ground when I trip him. As he goes down, I whack the back of his head so that he goes unconscious.

But stupid is as stupid does, so the next guard comes after me as well. I flip him around by his arm and lands unconscious on the ground after I kick his head.

More or less the same way, I take down another half a dozen guards with my martial arts. My father was probably regretting sending me to all those lessons right about now.

When the last guard has fallen to the ground, I turn to my father; who's now cowering in near-fear now that his body-guards were gone.

"Look father." I start kindly, as if he were having a discussion about the weather instead of a tense confrontation after I take down all his guards. "I really must leave."

"Why Amir?" He asks with some sense of wonder upon his features. "You were perfect."

I snort. Perfect was so far from what I am that it was almost funny. "I'm not perfect father. As I said before; if you actually paid real attention to Azhar and I then you would know that."

As the man sits there in the cold snow, I can't help but feel some pity for the man I used to call my father. With a reluctant sigh, I crouch down so that I'm looking at him in the eyes.

"I will come visit in the Fall to celebrate your birthday but other than that I will be off. I'm not going to tell you were I'm going; I don't want to be followed." I turn my head in the direction of the sky. "I feel like there's something missing inside me. And I want to find what it is." I turn my gaze back to my father; who doesn't seem to be paying attention to me.

Disgusted, I stand and shoot him a pity glance. "Goodbye your Majesty. Send my love to my brother."

With that, I turn my back on him as a tear sneaks its way down my face. It leaves a frozen trail behind and I quickly vault myself back into the trees to avoid leaving footprints.

Quickly, I leave my father and his unconscious army behind. Time passes around me as the world brightens with the glow of the sun. I fly from branch to branch, my mind completely devoid of any thought as I flee.

After a few hours though, thoughts start to creep back into my mind. Azhar would be happy that I got away safely and he'd be overjoyed that he got to rule. I was happy for my twin brother; he would get to live his dream, marry a beautiful girl and rule a country that he loved. He would be happy.

I didn't know what would happen with my father. Maybe he would accept that I couldn't rule. Maybe he'd send out more people to look for me. But if that happened, I'd be too far gone to be found. My destination was a little town called Zephyr Town; and it was so tiny that I was sure to be hidden. But it would take me a good two days to get there.

I think back on the promise I'd made to my father. When the time comes, I hope that he's let go off all his feelings of anger. I don't want to never see him or my brother again; that might destroy me because I did love them very much.

This brings me to the reason that I left. What I told my father earlier was true. I felt like there was something inside of me was missing and I didn't know what it was. My little escape was so that I could venture out into the world in an attempt to find it.

The day passes swiftly as I center my thoughts about what I would find. I finish going through the forest and I pass an entire valley before coming to a small inn upon the road. The sky is blackened again and the stars are out when I reach this inn so I decide to spend the night there.

I pay for a simple room; an inexpensive one. Exhausted, I collapse on the bed; not bothering to change. Tomorrow I would change and have a shower. But for now I wanted to sleep.

The last thought that crosses my mind before I fall into a blissful sleep is that this was my seventh escape attempt and that I had succeeded.


	3. Winter 3rd

**A/N: Sorry for the short chapter; but I didn't know exactly what do add on to this; so this is how it's finished. Plus, it's almost midnight here and I want to get this posted. I hope you all enjoy it; and I want to thank EVERYONE who has reviewed the past two chapters! Thank you so much!**

**Disclaimer: No, I do not own Harvest Moon nor do I own the gemstone that Fernando finds, nor the telephone. I also do not own cereal though I have a box of Corn Pops in my kitchen. :) Mind you, if I did own any of these things; I can assure you that you I wouldn't be sitting here writing wistfully about how I wish things _could_ be. I'd be making it happen!**

**Side Note: When there are two parenthesis with a number in-between them; please scroll to the bottom of the page to find the same number that matches. Sorry if the languages are confusing!**

**Now, Enjoy!

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**Winter 3****rd****, Thursday**

**Lloyd**

"Thanks for letting me eat with you." Anita gushes out gratefully just before taking a huge bite of cereal. I casually watch her as I munch on my own cereal. She must be starving herself on her farm or something; either than or she was just really ravenous in the morning.

"It's just cereal." I mutter. "It's not a big deal."

She nods her head vigorously even as she chomps away at her food. After a slight pause, she swallows and then begins to speak. "It is a big deal though. I don't have enough money to buy any food and I don't have any ingredients on me to make something at my house. So it is a big deal."

With that she stuffs another bite into her mouth; leaving no flake behind in her pursuit of a full stomach. I simply chuckle under my breath at the sight.

"So what'd cha get at da city?" Anita grumbles out through a mouthful of cereal and milk.

I think briefly about my trip to the city yesterday. As normal it was pretty awful; the harsh city fumes and traffic are something that I do not miss living in a little woodland community like Zephyr Town.

Indifferently, I shrug my shoulders. "Just some more of the usual stuff. Some mithril, orichalcum, adamantite, gold, silver. That kind of stuff."

Anita nods eagerly as she listens to my story with her undivided attention now that she was finished with breakfast. "Well that doesn't sound too bad. Your stuff always sells for so much at the Bazaar."

An abrupt and loud laugh escapes my lips. "Yeah, but my business sure isn't as booming as yours!"

Now it's her turn to laugh. "Are you kidding me? About a third of the customers at my shop, all they want to know is where your store is! Believe me; if it weren't for you our Bazaar wouldn't have gotten off the ground."

I roll my eyes as I blink so that she doesn't notice. Quickly I gather her dish along with mine and carry them to the kitchen to wash. "I think you're confusing me with yourself." I call back to her.

Anita lightly punches my arm as she follows me. She picks up a dish towel and leans against the counter; waiting to dry a dish.

Wordlessly, I fill up the sink with nice warm water; not hot enough that it burns my skin, but that nice warm temperature that feels so soothing you just want to take a bath in it.

From under the sink, I take out dish soap and pour it into the filling up sink of water. Instantaneously, bubbles start to flow from seemingly out of nowhere. My eyes are only off the stuff for a second as I put the soap away, but it seems to get twice as large.

I toss both of our bowls and spoons into the water; along with some dishes that I hadn't washed yet from previous meals that week. Armed with a yellow sponge, I begin to tackle the stains.

Anita dries my carefully washed dishes without complaining once about my lack of speed, or the amount of dishes. She keeps a smile on her face and yaps on and on about Angelo even though she knows that I'm not listening to a word that she's saying.

All the dishes seem to dry themselves at the fast pace that Anita is keeping up. Before I know it, all the dishes are finished and I'm draining the plug to release the bubbles and dirty water. Just as I'm drying my hands on the dish towel Anita tosses at me; the phone rings.

Like the normal bubbly and easily-excited person that she is, Anita pounces on the phone and holds it up to her ear. "Hello?" Is her sweet and eager welcome.

I hear a bunch of loud jabbering coming from the other end of the line as I erase all signs of moisture from my hands. Her expression changes almost instantly to one of confusion.

"I'm sorry, who do you want?" She asks; her face scrunched up in concentration.

Suddenly, there's a strange relief on her face as she holds the phone out to me. "It's for you. But I have no idea who it is." I take the phone from her while she continues. "He was speaking in a really weird language; I think it was French or something."

Curious, I hold the phone up to me ear. "Hello?" I repeat Anita's earlier greeting; but with much less enthusiasm.

_"Lloyd?"_ The voice is a little guttural; like they'd been eating nothing by sand for a week. But I recognize the voice. _"Est-ce vous? Par Joe ça fait longtemps. Comment avez-vous été? Et qui était ce Little Miss sur le telephone? Vous n'avez pas allé droit sur moi avez-vous?"_ (1)

My ears begin to flame at the accusation hurled at me. I glance over at Anita, and I'm glad that she can't hear and that she didn't understand French. I take a deep breath and then respond.

_"Bonjour Fernando. Il est bon de vous entendre aussi. Je vais bien, meme comme je l'ai toujours fait. Et qu'est-ce qui vous faire croire que je ne suis pas droite? Mais, non, elle n'est pas le mien. C'est une amie."_ (2) Okay; I was only partially lying. Anita really was a friend.

Fernando chuckles over the phone. I simply roll my eyes even though I should have expected this. He was my best friend ever since I first set out to travel by myself. He knew all of my secrets. And I mean, _all_ of them. Though it was actually quite an accident that he even found out in the first place.

_"Eh bien tant pis."_ (3) Fernando laughs again and I feel my face darkening with embarrassment. _"Mais, j'ai une proposition d'affaires pour vous. Vius voulez l'entendre?" _(4)

I didn't even have to think about it before I gave my answer. _"Oui."_ When Fernando and I had parted ways, he went off in search of rare and valuable gems. If he had a business proposition for me; I wanted to know about it.

_"Je veins de rentrer d'in voyage à Madagascar au début de cette semaine et j'ai trouvé la pierre précieuse . C'est ce qu'on appelle "Grandidierite"; et il est si précieuse, je ne pouvais meme pas trouver une fourchette de prix pour elle! Vous le voulez?"_ (5)

Did I want it? Does a man need to breathe? _"Oui je le veux!"_ (6)

By the sound of Fernando's hearty laugh over the line, I know that he knew I'd want it all along. _"Bon, parce que je l'ai déjà envoyé. Ça va arriver à l'hôtel de demain." _(7)

I snicker on my end of the phone. He had known exactly what I was going to say. _"Merci beaucoup Fernando. Je l'apprécie vraiment."_ (8)

_ "Vous êtes les bienvenus. Au revoir."_ (9) With that final note; he abruptly hangs up on me. I'm a little taken aback, but I still say goodbye into the dead line before hanging up my end.

Anita raises an eyebrow at me when I turn around. "You speak French?"

I nod with a grin plastered on my face. "And German, Dutch, Japanese, Chinese, Spanish and a little bit of Indonesian."

Anita lets out a low whistle even as she shakes her head in disbelief. "You sure had a busy childhood."

My grin doesn't disappear even as I laugh merrily at her comment. "Well, when you travel all around the world, you either pay a _lot_ of money for a translator or you learn the language."

She seems to find this reasonable; because she doesn't ask me about it again. However, she does ask me another question. "What was that all about anyway?"

If it was even possible, the smile on my face got even wider. "That was my friend Fernando; from back when I used to travel. His native tongue is French which is why you couldn't understand him. He doesn't know any English."

I take a brief pause to take a deep breath and try to settle little butterflies I have flying around in my stomach. "Anyway; he found this really rare gemstone in Madagascar and he's sending it to me! It's going to arrive at the Hotel tomorrow!"

Anita's eyes go wide and her mouth drops open. I want to squeal in utter delight; but I know that I can't. Strictly denying myself; I hold in the giggle.

"Just like that?" Anita flicks her fingers, making a loud snapping noise.

I nod and imitate her motion. "Just like that."

She lets out another low whistle. "Well, what are you going to do with it? Are you going to sell it at the bazaar or keep it here with all your other little trinkets?"

"I'd like to study it first." I tell her. "So, yes, I'll be keeping it with all my little trinkets for a while." The grin on my face reappears; stronger and wider than ever. Finally, something exciting had happened in this run-down town.

Anita laughs; whether she's laughing at me or with me I no longer care at this point. "Well I'll leave you here with your little news of happiness. I do have to go though. My animals don't wait for _anyone!_"

With a quick hug and a yelped out goodbye, Anita dashes off into the snow; her usual, always-have-to-be-moving attitude following in pursuit.

As soon as Anita has slipped around the corner to her farm, I let out the high-pitched giggle I'd been compressing. The cry even sounds shrill to my ears, but I don't care. I was getting an amazing gemstone tomorrow and nothing could ruin my happiness.

* * *

(1) _Lloyd? Is that you? By Joe it's been a long time. How have you been? And who was that little miss on the phone? You haven't gone straight on me have you?_

(2) _Hello Fernando. It's good to hear from you too. I'm doing fine; same as I always have. And what on earth would make you think I'm not straight? But, no, she's not mine. She's a friend._

(3) _Well that's too bad._

(4) _But I have a business proposition for you. You want to hear it?_

(5) _I just returned from a trip to Madagascar earlier this week and I found the most amazing gemstone. It's called "Grandidierite" and it's so valuable, I couldn't even find a prince range for it! You want it?_

(6) _Yes I want it!_

(7) _Good, because I already sent it. It'll arrive at the hotel tomorrow._

(8) _Thank you Fernando. I really appreciate it._

(9) _You're welcome. Goodbye.

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_**A/N: Well, I hope that wasn't too bad. Sorry for the long Author's notes too. :) Please review and tell me what you think of the bilingual chapter! :D**


	4. Winter 4th

**A/N: Hehehe yeah. I'm sorry I haven't updated in a long time. I need to get my priorities straight. Hopefully I still have people that still want to hear how this story ends!**

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**Winter 4****th****, Friday**

**Amir**

Two days of complete and utter freedom. The air around me smells all the sweeter because of it. I'm practically skipping down the road; drunk on my happiness.

I was almost at my destination too. Zephyr Town should be coming into sight any minute now. Thankfully, I hadn't been followed so I could only guess that my father had accepted that I couldn't rule. Hopefully I would hear from my brother soon. He alone knows where I'm going and how to reach me. I didn't want him to ever have to worry about me.

It was rather curious actually; the pathway was completely devoid of all snow, yet the banks were piled high with the stuff. I felt sorry for the pour soul who had to come out here at god-knows what time in the morning to clear a road in the middle of nowhere.

Dawn begins to stretch her rosy fingers as I reach the top of a large hill. I'm greeted by the sight of what must be Zephyr Town.

My word it was a quaint looking little town. From the top of this hill I could see the entire town. From a queer looking marketplace all the way over to a farm near a waterfall. There was a small little village in-between the two, as well as a river running through the entire valley. From what I could tell, there were also three windmills; which I could already tell must be useful from the plethora of wind tossing about.

I take in a deep breath, my throat suddenly dry with anticipation. What if the villagers didn't accept me? What if I couldn't find a place to stay? What if I ran out of money? What if the villagers found out who I was? What if they turned me in? What if…

Anxiously I shake my head in an attempt to rid such worrisome thoughts from my head. If I kept thinking like that I would never get anything done.

One foot forwards. Then another. Each step surprisingly gets easier to take, and before I know it I'm in the town.

The first section of the town I have to go through is the strange place that looks like a marketplace. Could this be where they host their bazaar? I've heard things about their bazaar. Apparently, their new farmer is a huge success here on bazaar days.

There's only a little snow in the banks in this area. Everything is covered by huge multi-coloured tarps, so there's no much to see. I can feel my heart begin to race in anticipation of being able to experience one of the famous bazaar days.

I continue walking down the pathway. The first thing my eyes rest upon is a huge building that appears to be at least three stories tall! It might be just my imagination. Though, with the majesty of the structure, I would imagine this would be a good place to begin my search for a place to stay.

The door creaks slightly as I push it open; an instant warmth hitting my body full force, making my shiver as cold I hadn't felt seeps away from my skin.

"Oh dear! I need to oil that old door again."

I shut the creaky door behind me as a young lady walks over to me. She's covered from head to toe in a frilly pink maid's outfit and has a matching pink duster in one hand. She flashes a wide smile at me, her brown eyes dancing as she giggles and flips her bouncy blonde hair.

"May I help you with anything sir?" I try not to notice the slight emphasis she puts on the word _anything_, but the piercing gaze she's giving me is slightly throwing me off.

"Uh…" A mental slap gets my systems working again. "Can you tell me where I can find a place to stay?"

The woman giggles again. "Of course! This is our town's inn!" Then she reaches out a hand. "I'm Daisy. I work here for Ethel and Stuart as a maid."

I take her hand gently and kiss the top of it. A blush rises to her cheeks as she giggles. I wince at her reaction, realizing too late that my normal way of introduction could get me into trouble in this new town. "Honored to meet you Daisy. I'm Amir."

"Well, Amir," Daisy looks over me, and I have to restrain myself from squirming. I didn't like all this attention from her. What if she recognized me?

"Daisy! Don't just leave the poor young man standing in the doorway! Bring him over here!" The voice is a soft coo, and I look up to see a older man and woman standing behind a desk on the left side of the room.

Daisy pouts for a moment before pushing me over to where the aged couple sits comfortably. "Grandpa, grandma, this is Amir! He wants a room!"

The old lady, who must be Ethel, smiles at me. "Well aren't you a handsome one?"

I reply with a soft, "Thank you ma'am." My face complexion could have rivaled a tomato.

"And manners?" Ethel does this weird little high pitched laugh. "You must have plenty of girls chasing after you young man."

"Now, now sweetheart." The old man pats her hand. "Don't want to scare him aware now do we?"

Ethel's statement has already made me flush though. I wasn't used to being scrutinized like this; even at my father's courts.

"Can I just have a room please?" I ask softly, my voice starting to fail me.

"Of course you can son." Stuart smiles at me, making his mustache lift. "King size bed or queen?"

"Queen is fine." It's just me anyway. Besides, there's barely any difference between the two.

"Smoking or non?"

"Non." My nose wrinkles in distaste. Smokers disgust me.

"It'll be 600G a night." He smiles wearily up at me. "I hope that isn't too much Amir."

I shake my head. "No that'll be fine sir."

"Sir?" He lets out a jolly laugh. "There's no need to be so formal."

_The crowd of royal guards suddenly part and a man appears from out of the darkness. I swallow hard when I recognize the silver hair, piercing blue eyes and harsh weather worn bronzed skin that all belonged to me. My father was standing in front of me._

_"Amir Ranjit Raj Singh." My father speaks my full name like an oath; only uttered when absolutely needed and of the foulest significance._

_"Amir is fine father. There's no need to be so formal." I spread my arms wide as if to indicate that I was helplessly trapped._

"Amir?" Something waves in front of my face. The movement causes me to blink rapidly, and I shake my head of the flashback Stuart's words had caused me.

"I'm fine." I tell the three worried onlookers. "I just dazed off there for a moment. Sorry to have worried you so."

Suddenly the door blows open. "Stuart! Is my package here yet?" The door shuts again, and I shiver at the cold breeze that slithers its way inside the warm house.

I turn around to look at the newcomer and I'm instantly taken aback. This man was dressed in some fine dark blue robes that appeared to be from a foreign place like my old one. He wore a turban on his head and nice moccasin boots on his feet, but that wasn't what caught my attention.

What caught my attention were his eyes. Even half hidden by his raven black hair and a pair of glasses, his eyes shone out from behind them like stars.

Pure amethyst. That was the colour of his eyes. A vibrant bright purple that seemed to dance with excitement about whatever item he was here to seek.

Stuart laughs, freeing me from my star-struck moment. I shake my shocked self and turn around to look down at the desk. Why was my heart suddenly beating so fast? And why did I feel like I couldn't tear my gaze away from the other man's?

"Lloyd, I've got your package right here!" Stuart cries from in front of me, and I feel my heart jump as I imagine the man walking towards us.

I feel a presence to my side and I glance over to see him right there. Lloyd. That's what Stuart called him. I wonder who he is? Or what's in that package that he's so excited about?

"Oh Lloyd, this is Amir. He's going to be staying with us for a while." Daisy's bubbly voice floats to me as if in a dream as Lloyd turn his head to look at me.

His eyes meet mine and I swear I stop breathing. Why is this happening to me? What's going on with my body?

The corners of his lips twist upwards as he holds out his hand towards me. "I'm Lloyd. Nice to meet you."

I reach out to take his hand, clenching my teeth together to stop myself from letting out a gasp as my skin touches his.

His hand is out of mine the second out skin brushes, before we've even actually shaken hands. My eyes rise from our hands to his face, but I don't meet his eyes. He's already turned away from me, taking the package from out of Stuart's hands.

It's a small package; but the way Lloyd is delicately holding it, I can't help but wonder what's inside.

Lloyd thanks the elderly couple, bids goodbye to Daisy and then glances at me. This time I do catch his eyes, and I'm not sure what to make of it. His eyes are clouded, and his face was guarded; completely different from the excited and open expression he had one when he walked in.

He leaves the room without saying another word to me.

I feel a key pressed into my hand as I catch words about how that was odd behavior for Lloyd and reassurances that he was probably just excited about his package. But I'm not really paying attention to them anymore.

I was intrigued. Maybe, just maybe; I had found what I came here looking for.


	5. Winter 5th

**A/N: It seems like every time I update, I apologize for not updating in a long time. ^_^ So yeah, I'm sorry. But I hope you'll all forgive me. Especially with this awesome almost fluffy little piece! 3 Hope you all like it!

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**Winter 5****th****, Saturday**

**Lloyd**

My bag is practically bursting at the seems as I rush over to the bazaar in the crisp early morning. It was still another hour until the bazaar officially began, but I needed some time to set up my shop.

As I enter the set up bazaar area, it seems to be lit up with activity. Which still manages to surprise me even now. It reminded me that I wasn't the only one who had to set up early.

My stand was on the far right side of the bazaar, closer to the town than the road away from Zephyr Town. I'm set up in a little corner of the bazaar, so I'm not in the spotlight, but my customers know where I am and I make a good profit.

I run a mineral stand. They're kind of my specialty. Something I've always been fascinated by. There are tons of different gems in the world, and we've even found ways to harness some of those ores to make beautiful things. But the gems themselves are beautiful; or so I believe.

Just the way that they sparkle in the light, the variety of shapes and colours they come in…it takes my breath away.

That sounds gay doesn't it? I'm seriously surprised that no one has figured it out yet. But I guess that's a good thing.

I begin to take some ores out of my bag to put on display. This week I had managed to get some silver, gold, mithril, and orichalcum. If I could manage to sell all that I had, I'd make a bundle! Which would be good, seeing as though I'm beginning to run a little low on funds; seeing as Anita was beginning to eat me out of house and home. Damn that girl can eat!

Time seems to slip away as I set up all my products. My booth actually doesn't open until 10:45am, so I could take my time.

Suddenly I see a flash of pink run by me. I laugh and set down my bag to follow Anita to her stand in the middle of the bazaar.

"Cutting things a little close aren't we?" I laugh at her as she plops her bag down on the ground behind her stand and furiously begins to drag items out of it.

"I know, I know." She mutters, a stand of hair falling out of its place as she rushes. "But Bessie simply _refused_ to be milked this morning and I spent about a half hour chasing her!"

"You want some help?" I ask as I walk behind the booth and begin helping her set up some of the items she's found.

She flashes a smile at me. "Thanks a bunch Lloyd! I really hope I manage to sell some stuff. Winter is going to be a hard season, seeing as I can grow no crops."

I hold up about six carrots that I pulled out of her bag, and raise an eyebrow at her. "This is what you call having no crops?"

Anita laughs and grabs the orange veggie from me. "That's from last week! I forgot them in storage last bazaar so I brought them this time." She pauses to take a closer look at them. "Thankfully they didn't spoil."

Suddenly the bell rings and I can hear Felix announcing the beginning on the bazaar over an intercom system.

"Thanks for helping again Lloyd." Anita grins and tucks a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. "Now I don't have to scramble."

I laugh. "Just make sure to come check out my stand sometime today."

She nods at me with a smile and rings a golden bell. "Can do."

I smile at her. "But first, can I have one of these milk? I feel like I'm gonna die of thirst today."

"You forget to bring some water again?" She smirks at me even as she tosses me a can of the wholesome goodness.

"You know me to well Anita." I grin at her as I toss her payment for the milk. As she begins to count it, I quickly slip away before she can make me take back the extra money I gave her.

As I begin to stroll back to my stand, my mind begins to wander back to my encounter with the new guy yesterday. He certainly had some manners, but it looked like Daisy was drooling all over him. Almost made me feel bad for the kid.

But…there was something about him. Something in his eyes. Those bright, bright blue eyes of his. They looked at me like he could see right through me and my entire act. And when his hand touched mine…I don't even know what happened. I don't know why I reacted the way I did.

I shake my head and sit down on a chair behind my own stall. I hadn't been able to get the guy out of my mind all day yesterday; though I didn't see him after that first encounter.

_Amir._

What was it with him? And why would he move to a dinky little town like this without anywhere to live? He was just going to stay at the hotel? Wouldn't that cost a lot of money?

The stupid guy wouldn't even let me be excited about the new gem that Francisco sent me. I still haven't unwrapped it; it's just lying on the table in my house.

But I can't worry about him right now. My stall is now open. I ring a golden bell like the one Anita had; the bell that drew customers like a bee to honey.

With the ever faithful milk by my side, I spend the next few hours selling stuff to my customers. Some of them just want a little small talk, which I happily oblige with. I wanted this bazaar to have a good rep as much as anyone.

By about two in the afternoon, my milk has vanished though and most of my customers have gone to look at some other booths. My stomach growls at me, so I quickly close my booth for a moment to go and get some food.

After grabbing some Milk Stew at Joan's Café, I head back over to Anita's to see how she's doing.

As usual, her booth is completely crowded with people browsing and buying her wares. It seems like she's extremely busy and rushed, but there's a smile on her face and I can hear her laugh from here. She really did love this. A bazaar person through and through.

I wait until the crowd has dispersed a little and then I walk over to her. "Hey Anita, how's the bazaar going?"

She grins up at me as she hands a carrot to a young looking farmer. "Hey Lloyd! It's going great! I've made about 37,000 G already!"

I let out a whistle. "You're doing great then! You'll have made quite a bit by six tonight."

Anita laughs as she hands a coin to an elderly looking man. "That reminds me, there was this really cute guy here earlier."

"You making a lot of money reminds you of a cute guy?" I raise an eyebrow at her with a smirk sprawled across my face as she throws a withering look at me.

"_No_, you being here reminds me." She pauses to hand a bug to a little boy. "He introduced himself as Amir. Said he just moved here. He asked where your booth was."

I felt all the blood drain from my face when I heard those words. "H-he specifically asked for m-me?"

Anita pauses; maybe it was the distressed note in my voice, to look at me full in the face. "Yeah, he asked for you. Why? Is something going on? Do you know him?"

"I ran into him yesterday when I picked up my gemstone." Were my palms getting sweaty or was that just me?

"And you didn't mention it to me?" She rolls her eyes and then turns to give another bug to the same kid. "Well you better hurry your ass back over to that booth of yours."

"'K." I mutter, suddenly very distracted. "See ya later."

I walk back to my booth a whole lot slower than I had before. Was he really waiting there? Did I _want_ to see him? I suppose it couldn't hurt to just _talk_ to the guy…

Sure enough, the silver haired boy is standing right in front of my booth, shifting his weight from one foot to the other and looking around nervously. I let out a nervous breath and walk up behind my booth, opening it up again.

"Lloyd." I look up to see Amir smiling nervously at me. It was weird, the way his dark skin so vividly contrasted with his bright eyes…

"Amir." Why was he nervous about talking to me? I'm the one who was practically ready to jump out of his socks.

"Listen," He starts, casting his eyes downwards. "I should apologize for yesterday."

That makes me tilt my head in confusion. 'Why are you apologizing?"

"Well, I was a little upfront and-"

"You shouldn't be the one apologizing." I cut him off in the middle of his ridiculous excuse. "If anyone should be apologizing, it's me for so rudely taking off."

He smiles slightly. "You didn't even shake my hand."

I smile back. "Sorry about that." Why didn't I shake his hand? I can't even remember. Something about his hand…

Almost like he could read my mind, he sticks out his hand and then looks up at me. His striking blue eyes seem to be looking right through me as I meet his own eyes.

A moment's pause seems to fill up an entire eternity. But slowly I reach out my hand and take his.

And I remember why I let go yesterday.

His hands were coarse, from wear and tear. Like he'd done a lot of work with his hands. But that wasn't what made me pull away yesterday. What made me pull away were the way his hands felt against mine. It felt…right. It felt like a shoot of some kind of high. And it scared me.

Abruptly I notice that we were both still holding hands. As if he just notices it too, we both glance up at each other and then release our hands. I knew I was flushing like crazy, and after I glance at him, I notice that he is too.

"So…uh," Amir grabs the back of his neck with his hand. "You have a mineral stand?"

I nod like a bobble head, unable to stop. "Yeah I do. It's something I've always been fascinated by. Minerals that is." I add quickly.

"I think that's really cool." He smiles and glances up at me. I can feel my face heating up and I quickly glance away. His blue eyes were just was too…too what though? Blue? No…I liked his eyes actually…

"How much is this?" Amir points to some of the gold, looking up at me with an inquisitive look.

"14,000 G." I automatically answer, the businessman in me emerging. That was one of the most expensive pieces I sold.

"It's really pretty." He mutters and I notice his eyes flicker up at mine before returning to the ore.

"Hey, do you want to hang out sometime?" He asks me abruptly, his eyes catching mine. "Grab a bite to eat or go fishing or something…"

Amir looks down at the ore again, his face flaming red; as if he was embarrassed to ask me the question.

"A bite to eat sounds good." I smile as he looks up at me with a shocked expression. He quickly recovers though and smiles. "Tomorrow?"

I nod my head. "That sounds good. Lunch or dinner?"

He grins. "Dinner."

I smile at him again. "I can show you the café in town."

"I'd like that." He glances back down at the gold ore again. "Can I buy one?"

I nod again, doing my bobble head impersonation again. "Just one?"

Amir bites on his bottom lip for a moment, thinking. I glance down at the ores to stop myself from staring. "Can I have gold and silver?"

"Yeah." I mutter, grabbing both ores for him. "It'll be 26,600 G."

He digs in his pocket and drags out a bunch of money, which he hands to me in a trade for the ore. "So, I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah." I repeat, nodding. "I'll pick you up at the hotel so you don't get lost."

He smiles and then bites his lip again as his face blushes. "I'll see you later!" And then he rushes off before I can say another word.

I glance down at the money he'd given me, and my brow furrows in confusion. Quickly, I thumb through the money, counting in my head.

When I'm done, my jaw drops open. "53,200 G?" Amir paid me exactly double what I had told him the price was!

My head shoots up and my eyes dart around the bazaar, but Amir had vanished. I look back down at the money and I can't help but smile to myself.


	6. Winter 6th

**A/N: Yes, yes, yes. Once again, here I am to apologize for not updating faster. However, I hope all my cute fluffiness makes up for it! :D AS always, I do not own Harvest Moon and it's associated characters. I hope you all enjoy the new chapter! Don't forget to review! ;) Thank you all!**

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**Sunday, Winter 6th**

**Amir**

5:50pm

I bite my lower lip and continue pacing in my room after glancing at the clock. What time did Llyod say he'd pick me up? Did he ever say a time? What time do people usually have supper around here?

5:51pm

Gods, I am just so freaking nervous. I can't believe he actually agreed to go out for supper with me. I can't believe I even had the courage to ask! I don't know why I said fishing as the second option though. I don't even know how to fish!

5:52pm

Maybe he's not going to come! What if he decided he didn't want anything to do with me? What if he thought I was coming on too strong? Did he even think this was a date? Do I?

5:53pm

I stop in front of the mirror once again and straighten the tie I had bought at the bazaar yesterday. I'd put it on thinking it would help me look less raggedy in my normal clothing. As I forgot to bring any sort of formal wear.

5:54pm

Ugh…I rip the tie off and see if that looks any better. But did I want Llyod to think I didn't care at all? But wasn't this just a casual dinner? I don't want to overdress…

5:55pm

I put the tie back on, and tie it up so that it's snug, a little blew my neck. I critique myself in the mirror and deem myself nearly passable.

5:56pm

I glance back at the clock again. Should I go downstairs and wait in the lobby? Or should I stay here and make Llyod come up to my room? That would be awfully rude…

5:57pm

Gods, I am so nervous. I hope he doesn't ask to shake my hand again, my palms felt pretty damp. I pull on the collar of my shirt. Was it hot in here, or was that just me?

5:58pm

I glance at the clock again. It's almost six o'clock. That's usually when I ate supper. Maybe I should go wait downstairs now...

Before I can overanalyze myself again, I yank the door open and slip outside of my rented room. Carefully I shut the door behind me, and double check that the key is in my pocket. Then I try not to rush down the stairs to the lobby.

I take in a deep breath as I look around and see that Lloyd isn't there yet. It's okay though. I had to be patient.

"Going somewhere?"

The extra-pink maid seems to magically appear in front of me. She was really starting to freak me out. Not only did she talk to me nonstop anytime I was in the lobby, but she even followed me around during the bazaar yesterday! The only time I managed to escape her was when I was talking to Lloyd.

"Actually, yes." I reply to her, keeping my voice calm despite the nerves I was feeling. "One of the villagers is taking me out to dinner tonight."

Her eyes narrow at me, her sweet disposition vanishing for a moment. "Who? It's Anita isn't it? Gods, she already has so many men in her claws, can't she leave some for the rest of us?"

I wince slightly. I think that Anita was their new farmer. I'd asked her for directions to Lloyd's stand yesterday at the bazaar. She seemed like a nice girl.

I shake my head. "No, Lloyd is." I feel my heart skip a beat when I actually admit that out loud. What was happening to me? First the shock, then the nerves, and now this!

"Lloyd?" Daisy looks shock for a moment, but then she waves her hand and brushes it off like nothing. "Maybe you can convince him to get Anita to back off Angelo for me."

"How would he be able to do that?" I ask her, genuinely puzzled. "It's impossible to control another's will when they don't wish it."

"Well, they're going out silly." Daisy giggles; waving her hand again like it was a frivolous toy.

"They are?" I question out loud, feeling my heart sink into the pit of my stomach.

"Well, not officially, no. But they're always hanging out and always at each other's houses. I know they're falling for each other."

"Is that so…?" I ask her, barely even listening now. How could this happen? Why would Llyod agree to dinner with me if he was with someone already?

_Because…_ A voice in my head whispers. _He doesn't see this as a date. That's just you. You're setting yourself up for failure._

That's true…I know nothing behind Lloyd's reason for accepting my invitation. Maybe he just felt bad for not shaking my hand the other day, and this was a way to get him off the hook.

"Excuse me." I stop Daisy in the middle of whatever she was saying, before rushing off to the bathroom.

I slam the door shut and lock it for safe measure. Then I drop to my knees and hurl into the open toilet seat.

"Ugh…" I moan; my stomach in instant protest. I rest my cheek on the rim of the toilet seat as I catch my breath. This was _not_ how I imagined tonight going.

I hear a knock on the door. "Hang on a moment, please." I manage to croak out as I stand on shaky legs. Using the faucet, I splash my face with some water, and then cup some water in my hands to drink; in order to get rid of the foul taste in my mouth.

I open the door. "Sorry about- Lloyd!" I nearly stagger back into the bathroom when I see his face nearly directly in front of mine.

"Whoa, Amir." His eyebrows crease in worry as he slides his gasses back up his nose. "You don't look too good."

I have to look down at the ground to avoid looking into those beautiful amethyst eyes. If I did, I had the feeling I might hurl again. "I don't feel too good…"

He catch me by the arm when I nearly fall, helping me back to my feet. "You're in no condition to be up and walking around town."

He hoists me up as I try and walk on weak legs. Then, he puts his arm around my waist and slings my arm over his shoulder; the way they do in movies when someone is sick.

I can feel my heart pounding in my ears, distorting the world around me as I feel his arm, firm and steady, around me. I don't know if I wanted to be sick or collapse in happiness. Collapsing sounds good either way.

"Amir." Lloyd speaks my name and catches my attention. "Where's your room?"

I look up and point at the door at the end of the hallway. As he practically carries me down the hall, I fumble with my robes to grab the key.

Lloyd takes the key from my sweaty hands and unlocks the door, bumping it further open with his hip as he helps me inside.

He leads me toward the queen size bed, and I plop down on it, groaning in agony as my stomach protests at me. It wasn't like me to hate a lady, but stupid Daisy for making me sick!

"You eat something bad for lunch?" Lloyd asks me, as I turn so my back is flat on the bed.

"I think I just caught something." I moan. "A bug….or something…"

"Either way, you really shouldn't go out in the cold like that. It'll only make you more sick." Lloyd looks down on me in concern before placing the back of his hand on my forehead.

My eyes shut instantly at his touch. Gods, his hand was so soft, and it felt so good against my skin.

"Well, you're a little warm, but you're not burning with a fever or anything." Lloyd takes a good look at me, and I feel my face flush as if I was being examined. "You'll probably cool off if you take off some clothes."

If he didn't think I had a fever before, he probably did now. I could feel my face heating up; so it was probably as red as a tomato now. Thankfully, he wasn't looking.

"I'll be right back." He calls out, and then slips out of the room.

I let out a deep breath I hadn't realized I was holding. I was going to have to ask Lloyd about Anita when he got back. I couldn't live with what Daisy told me. And if what she told me is true…well, I'll deal with that when the time comes.

In the mean time, I was hot. So I sit up, and remove my shirt and tie; leaving my chest bare. I glance around the room nervously, afraid that someone might be spying. But that was ridiculous.

All the same, I slide down under the covers, pulling them over my chest and folding my arms over them.

"Knock knock." I hear Lloyd's voice as the door opens slowly, revealing him carrying a tray with two bowls of soup.

"What's this?" I ask him, forgetting for a moment about my bare chest and sitting upright in bed.

His eyes flicker up and then instantly back down to the soup. "I did say that we'd have dinner didn't I?

Lloyd sets the tray down on the bed, right over where my knees are, and then walks to the other side of the room to pull away a chair from the desk. He brings the chair back to the bed and then sits down in it.

"It's chicken noodle soup." He tells me softly. "It's supposed to be good for your immune system if you're fighting off a cold."

He looks up at me and gives me a small smile as he picks up one of the bowls and a spoon. "You don't have to eat much if you feel like you're going to hurl, but it would be good to get some food into you."

I can't help but smile back at him and grab some soup. This guy was amazing. No questions asked, he just comes and helps me out when I'm feeling sick. I wasn't even really sick, and still, here he was. I shake my head in disbelief and begin to eat.

"Thank you." I whisper out in between spoonfuls, suddenly ravenous.

Lloyd smiles. "Well, it's the least I can do after you paid me that huge amount of money yesterday."

I place my spoon back in the bowl, letting it sit there amongst the noodles and soggy pieces of chicken. "Is that what this is? Just a way to pay me back?"

He frowns. "No, of course not. Whatever makes you think that?"

I pickup my spoon and begin to shovel soup into my mouth to prevent myself from being able to talk.

"Amir." Lloyd's voice holds just a certain amount of danger in it.

I swallow my soup forcefully. "Daisy told me about you and Anita."

Lloyd looks taken aback. "What about me and Anita?"

"That you were a…couple." My voice goes really soft at the end, even as I try not to.

I catch him suppress an involuntary shudder. "No, Anita and I are just friends. I had a hunch it was Daisy starting those rumors."

He sighs and shakes his head, then takes another sip of soup. Then he continues. "Daisy strongly dislikes Anita because she likes Angelo. This is the guy whom Daisy fancies."

I raise an eyebrow at him, and he laughs. "Anita rants to me about her. She's my best friend here." He shudders. "But I would never ever go out with her."

I feel like I just had a tremendous weight lifted from my heart. Instantly I felt one hundred times better.

Lloyd tilts his head at me. "But that doesn't explain why that would make you sick."

He glances at me again, and I see a faint blush appear on his cheeks below his glasses. I glance down and realize that I didn't have my shirt on; I'd completely forgot!

I lunge towards my shirt on the ground, and quickly yank it on over my head.

Lloyd's face is still a little bit red when I return my composure. "Unless…"

I take a small sip of soup.

"Unless…unless you're like me…" he whispers the words, but I catch them and it makes my heart jump.

"And what are you like..?" I ask him carefully.

He swallows and I have to tear my eyes away from his Adam's apple to look at his face. His brilliant amethyst eyes seem to stare right into me.

"I have to go." He says abruptly, and gets to his feet.

"Lloyd, wait!" Desperately, I lean forward and manage to grab his wrist, knocking over my bowl of soup in the process.

He looks back at me, down at our hands and then his eyes flit about the room, as if frightened that someone may discover him. As if he was hiding some big horrible secret.

His hand tightens into a fist, and he shakes my hand off. "I really need to go."

And then I'm left alone, soup all over my lap, my mouth agape and a ringing question in my ears.

"What happened?"


	7. Winter 7th

**A/N: And yet another update from Xealvi! I am loving this story, how about you guys? I am really starting to adore this pairing like crazy! By the time I get home, I'm sure I'll have more than one picture to upload to deviantART for you guys! So, yep! Another update. This chapter is a little slow, but I hope you like it!**

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**Monday, Winter 7th**

**Lloyd**

I sigh and pinch the bridge of my nose, pushing my glasses closer to my eyes in the process. The next moment my head starts to pound and I rub my temples with my fingers. I close my eyes to relax for a moment, but when I open them, the words in front of me swim before my eyes.

"Ugh." I grunt out in frustration, throwing my glasses down on the table and rubbing my eyes.

"You okay?" Anita asks me in concern after swallowing a bite of cereal. She was over at my place again for breakfast; later than usual though, I'd already eaten. Apparently Daisy had given the girl more trouble than usual.

"No." I sigh and answer truthfully. "I slept horribly last night, and these forms are giving me a headache."

"Did you have a nightmare or something last night?" Her eyebrows crease in concern.

I shake my head. "No, I just had trouble getting to sleep. And when I did, it was really broken."

"Oh, well, I'm sorry." She gives me a huge smile, as if that could fix anything. "Do you need any help with the paperwork?"

I shake my head again. "You wouldn't be able to do much. It's all in Spanish. I'm getting a shipment of minerals for the Bazaar, and I have to turn in these forms when I go to the city tomorrow. Otherwise, I won't get the gems because they're from out of the country."

She grimaces. "Sounds like a lot of work. You do this every week?"

I nod and pick up my pen to scribble a few more words down. "Yep. Every week. But, it keeps my mind active I guess."

"Well, that's good. Healthy mind, healthy body." She smiles and slurps down the rest of the milk left in the bowl.

As she gets up and washes her bowl in the sink, I frown over a few more paragraphs; making minor notes and initials in places that needed to be signed. Paperwork sucks, but I can't make money without it.

"Lloyd." Anita stands next to me as she slings her rucksack over her shoulder. "Try and get out sometime today. You look like you need the fresh air."

"Thanks." I give her what was probably a weak smile. She knew something was up, but she was too polite to pry, and I was too scared to tell her.

Gently she pats my shoulder for comfort, thanks me for breakfast again, and then takes off to visit the rest of the villagers.

The moment the door slams closed from the harsh winter wind, I rip my turban off and it falls on the floor. I run a frustrated hand through my long hair, and then pound the table with a fist. "Damn it!"

Damn him for keeping me awake all night.

Damn him for running through my head all day yesterday.

Damn him for removing his shirt.

Damn, damn, damn, damn...

I push my chair away from the table and go to the kitchen to fetch a glass of water. After quenching my parched throat, I stand at the counter, my hands griping the edges until my knuckles turn white.

How could this happen? What was "this" even? Maybe I was overreacting. Maybe I just need some time alone so I could think properly. Maybe I just need to go with the flow for once...

Ugh, I need a distraction. I walk back over to the table and sit down in front of the Spanish paperwork I need to finish. Then I pick up my pen and I begin to write.

Four hours later, I sign my name on the last line of the last page of the stack of paperwork. I sigh in relief, leaning back and stretching out my cramped neck and sore back.

Man, it was always good to get that over with. It was the worst part of the job, but it had to get done. Can't be all play and no work. There has to be balance.

Just like there should be balance between work and personal life...

No. I shake my head forcefully. I will not think about him. I won't even think his name...

But as soon as I say that, it floats there. Forbidden, but rising to the surface. Amir.

Instantly, last night flashes through my head yet again. Amir falling out of the bathroom, looking like he wanted to hurl. Me, carrying him to his room, his face visibly lighter than normal. Checking his temperature, and telling him to cool down. Bringing soup in and being stunned by a shirtless Amir. And-

No! I pound my fist on the table. Don't, don't go back there...

But the flashbacks don't stop when I want them to. Amir asking about Anita. Me, completely freaking out. Amir, grabbing my hand and asking me to stay. Me, shaking him off and leaving out of fear.

"Ugh..." I groan and collapse on the chair and table, my head resting on the cold wood. Why was I so scared? I want to turn to someone for advice...but who was I supposed to ask?

"I need air." I grab my turban and place it snugly back on my head. I pack all my papers into my satchel, so I wouldn't forget them when I left for the city in the morning.

The crisp winter air hits me when I open the door. The wind had died down and left behind fields of pure white snow. It really was beautiful, even if it was a pain to walk in. But I love Winter. It was an incredibly beautiful season.

Where to go now...? My feet start to head for the inn, but I force them to change course, and I find myself in the town instead.

My stomach rumbles, and I realize that it's almost lunch. I debate it for a moment, but I cave to my rumbling stomach and head for the café.

"Ah, Lloyd!" Joan calls when she sees me enter. "The usual?"

"Yes please ma'am." I smile and look around the café. I'm momentarily taken aback when I spot a purple overcoat and brown hair, but I walk over anyway.

"Ivan?" I step in front of him, and sure enough, it's him. "What're you doing in town?"

Ivan looks up at me from his cup of coffee. "The school took a holiday because there's a blizzard in the city today." He stares back down at his coffee. "So I'm stuck here."

I glance at the seat across from him. "Do you mind?"

He glances up and shakes his head. "No, go ahead."

"Thanks." I take the seat and smile at him. "Why hang around here though? I'm sure you have better things to do."

He sighs and takes a sip of the coffee. "I was grading test papers, but my mind just wasn't on it. I kept getting distracted."

I wince. "Dirk bothering you again?" Dirk was Ivan's younger brother. They've lived together in this small town ever since their parents died in a house fire. Dirk is...well, he's a bit rebellious.

Ivan shakes his head. "No, Dirk was out. I've just got problems on my mind."

"You want to talk about it?" I ask him.

"You're being awfully nice." He narrows his eyes at me. "Why?"

"I just..." I pause for a moment as HE flashes through my head. "I just know what it's like to have a lot on your mind."

Ivan nods. "Okay then." He sighs. "It's Anita."

"What about her?"

"I like her."

"Oh." Awkward thing to say, but I'm saved when Joan brings me over my meal. I thank her, for the food and for giving me time, though I don't tell her the last part.

Thankfully though, Ivan begins to talk, giving me a chance to eat. "Anita and I have been pretty good friends since she moved here. As she is with everyone. She's so sweet, and nice and cheerful, and she's so kind to everyone."

He pauses to take a sip of his coffee. "And she's helped me with Dirk on more than one occasion."

Ivan sighs heavily and I chew thoughtfully on my food as he continues. "But recently she told me that she likes Angelo." He scoffs. "That idiot is too busy with his head in the clouds; he can't even tell that she likes him!"

He shakes his head. "But she's so busy chasing after him; she can't even see me standing right here."

I swallow my food to speak. "Why not just tell her how you feel?"

He looks at me like I'd just asked him to eat dog shit. "Are you crazy? I'll get the pity look and the whole "we can be friends" speech!"

Ivan shakes his head. "No, I can't do that."

I think for a moment, then, as if a light bulb appeared on my head, I get an idea. "Well, Harmony Day is next week. Why not give her chocolates?"

He rolls his eyes. "Lloyd, Harmony day is for girls to give boys chocolate."

Oops.

I wince. "Sorry. Wrong holiday."

"It's okay." He gives me a thin smile. "I know you're just trying to help."

I smile back at him. "Maybe I can talk to her for you."

"Would you?" His eyes go wide and he looks amazed that I would do that.

"Yeah, I would." I smile at him; it felt good to help him, even if I wasn't doing much.

Ivan visibly relaxes. "Thank you Lloyd. I owe you one." Something seems to click inside his eyes. "Actually, you said you had something on your mind. Do you want to talk about it?"

My ears flame red, and I shovel more food into my mouth. Ivan laughs, and I can tell that my promise has loosened him up a lot. "You having love troubles too?"

I almost choke on the word 'love'. I quickly drink from a glass of ice cold water to get the food down my throat.

Ivan chuckles. "So what's your story?"

I shake my head and my mouth decides to be truthful before my head can stop it. "I don't even know. I feel all weird inside, and I get so nervous...and, I can't help but smile all the time...and I think about them all the time..."

Ivan smiles at me. "You've got it."

"Got what?"

"The love bug." He smiles at me. "Take your own advice Lloyd. Go for it."

He drains the last bit of his coffee. "Well, I have to go. Gotta find something for Anita!"

He smiles at me again. "Good luck Lloyd. And thanks for talking with me."

"No problem." I smile back. "Thanks for the advice."

He laughs. "It's yours!" Then he waves and walks out of the café.

I smile to myself and begin to finish my meal. Maybe Ivan is right. I have to just go for it. Somehow get over my nerves and fright. Maybe...

At the least, I should apologize for yesterday. Then, I should hang out with Amir, get to know him better. Build a ground layer of friendship before...before anything else.

I smile as I finish my meal. I thank Joan and pay her for the meal as I think about Amir. I did want to spend the day to myself today; just so I could organize myself some more. I'd be at the city tomorrow, so I wouldn't be able to talk to him. I wasn't getting a shipment on Wednesday, so there would be no need for me to go into the city.

I smile to myself again as I walk back to my house. I would talk to Amir on Wednesday.


	8. Winter 8th

**Alright! New chapter update! And yeah...I apologize for taking such a long time. I promise I'll try to get a chapter of Impossible Life up soon too. I hope you all enjoy the new chapter! Don't forget to review! I love you all!**

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**Tuesday, Winter 8th**

**Amir**

_I should get out of bed._

I take the rubber ball that was in my hands and throw it above me so that it hits the ceiling and gravity sends it falling back into my open arms. I twirl the ball around in between my fingertips before attacking the ceiling with it again.

_I should go take a walk._

I let out a deep breath and stretch my back a bit. The ball leaves my fingertips once again and the familiar thunk echoes out once contact is made.

_I should go talk to someone._

I roll my ankles in circles to keep the blood flowing in my inactive state. I stretch my legs out, grimacing in the mixture of pain and relief the motion brings. The ball returns to my fingertips and I sent it towards the ceiling.

_I should talk to Lloyd._

_Whack!_ The ball smacks me right in between my eyes when my body seizes up at the mere thought of his name. My fingers gingerly touch at the sore spot as I swing my legs over the side of my bed.

_Lloyd._ God, why am I still even thinking about him? Not only did he run out on me on Sunday, but he did not even bother to come see if I was alright yesterday!

I sigh and pinch the bridge of my nose. This was not me. It was not like me to be so hung up over one guy. One guy I barely know anything about no less! No, I am the guy who runs from anything that could tie me down. So why was I so set on talking with Lloyd?

I shake my head and catch a sideways glance at myself in the mirror. An involuntary shudder spasms through my body. I looked, well, I looked like hell. To put it lightly.

My eyes were bloodshot, my skin was pale, and there were huge, dark circles underneath my eyes. I have not gotten much sleep the past two days; and it was showing.

I stand up and shuffle over to the window; feet dragging as if attached to weights. I rip open the plain, dreary curtains to reveal the bright, sunshine filled world of snow outside. I smile softly to myself in longing when I suddenly snap to my senses.

There is no reason I can not go enjoy the snow. No one is keeping me here. Lloyd is not keeping me here.

_No, but he might be out there._ A little tiny voice in the back of my head rings out my fears.

I glance out of the window again. I breathe deeply out of my mouth in frustration, creating steam on the window.

I pause and watch in fascination as the steam slowly drains away. An idea sparks in my head and I blow on the window again, in earnest this time.

Carefully, I write the words _yes_ and _no_ on the window. Slowly the fog starts to fade away, and I watch carefully for my answer.

The misty particles erase the _no_ faster than the _yes_, and before the fog has even finished disappearing, I am up and dashing off to put on my shoes.

Quickly I slip on my silky moccasins, wriggling my toes in their warm confinement. I grab my vest from the back of a chair, and slip it over my shoulders as I nearly lunge for the doorknob, yanking the door open and slipping into the corridor.

I clamber down the stairs, anxious to get outside to the white and wonderful world of snow. When I spot the vision in pink, I curse the gods silently under my breath. Of all the luck!

"Amir!" Daisy practically skips over to me in glee. "How've you been? I haven't seen you in a while!"

_Oh I really don't want to talk to you._ I resist my urge to glower at her. She probably meant well. It probably wasn't her fault that she was so annoying.

"I'm just going outside for some fresh air Daisy." I nod politely at her. "I'll see you later."

I walk away from her, and close the doors of the inn before she can say anything else.

I let out a deep breath once I'm outside, leaning back against the doors as my eyes close and I simply breathe in the crisp, fresh Winter air. My fingers already begin to feel the lethargic numbness induced by the bitter cold. But a smile crosses my face. I love Winter.

I take a small step forward and the result is a domino effect. Mindlessly I begin to wander about the down, kicking up fresh fallen snow with my footsteps. It wouldn't soak into my moccasins, but the cold nipped at my feet anyways.

After about an hour or two of randomly walking around the outskirts of the main town, my stomach starts to rumble and protest to every step. I can't help but chuckle softly. I knew the perfect thing to have on a cold, snowy day like today.

My feet bring me into town, my nervous eyes darting around subconsciously for…that person I shall not name inside my head.

I open the door to the café, the warm air from a heater hitting my every limb with the force of a hurricane. Instantly, I feel ten degrees warmer than two seconds ago.

"Hello dear. What can I get for you?" A little old lady at the counter smiles at me when I walk over.

"May I have a hot chocolate please ma'am?"

The old lady chuckles softly. "Such a polite boy. Of course you can, jut let me ring Marian up for you."

Suddenly a young lady appears from the back room. "I hear you Ma." She has blonde hair, just like her mother, and her way of dress was very elegant. Very pretty to look at. She must be in her thirties somewhere.

"Here you go Amir." She smiles softly at me, even as I recoil in shock; clearly knowing that I've never met her before.

She laughs a delightful little bell laugh as she hands me the hot chocolate, which my hands accept even as my mind backtracks in confusion.

"Anita was telling me about you this morning. She said Lloyd was talking about you with her earlier."

My heart thumps irrationally against my chest. Lloyd was talking about me? Why would he do that?

I shake my head at myself. I wasn't going to think about him today. No sire. I would not wreck my lovely snow day thinking about him.

I smile politely at Marian and her mother. "Well, thank you for the hot chocolate." I pull out some gold for the drink and hand it to her. "It was nice to meet you Marian."

Quickly, I hustle myself out of there, breathing in the bitter Winter air once again. I put the cup to my lips and drink in the delicious chocolate liquid, smiling even as the heat burns my tongue.

I continue walking around, not really having any aim to where I'm going. Eventually, I find myself by a stream on the opposite end of town where the hotel was. There was a nifty looking log cabin and a hammock on one side of the river. I wonder who lived there? It must be pretty sweet.

I walk over to the hammock, sitting down on the crisscrossed rope. I hope whoever owned it didn't mind that I was sitting there. My eyes turn to the unfrozen creek, tilting my head back slightly as I sip on my now warm beverage.

_Lloyd._ That lady Marian said that Anita had been talking about me with him. Anita was the new farmer, right? I think she was the lady I asked for directions to Lloyd's stall on the bazaar day.

I can't help but smile softly to myself. That sure was a fun meeting. I still have the silver and gold in my room of the hotel. It was a very pretty substance to look at. No wonder Lloyd liked it so much.

I let out a small sigh, letting my breath hover in front of my face in the form of steam. My head tilts back to look at the sky, watching small snowflakes gently falling down from the heavens.

"Amir?"

A voice snaps me out of my daze. I glance to my right, nearly falling out of the hammock when I realize that the farmer girl is standing right next to me. How had I not heard her?

"Anita, right?" I ask, cautiously, trying to contain my dignity after nearly jumping a foot in the air.

She nods and smiles at me before sitting next to me on the hammock. "So you're the famous Amir I've been hearing so much about."

My face flushes instantly. "You-you have?"

She nods in confirmation and glances over at me. "Daisy is quite taken with you."

I suppress an involuntary shudder. "Ahh…well. Ms. Daisy needs to learn that not every male is seduced by womanly charms."

She laughs and smiles brightly at me. "You're gay too?"

My face flushes darkly. "N-n-n-no. Wh-what would give you th-that impression?"

Her face looks slightly taken aback before she narrows her eyes at me. "You're lying."

I glance away from her eyes, taking a sudden interest in the ground. "No…I'm not…"

Anita smiles at me and pats my back. "It's okay. Your secret is safe with me if you don't want anyone to know."

I turn my head back to her. "You'd really do that?"

She nods and smiles brightly at me. "Of course! You're my friend now."

Huh. A friend…

That's different.

I smile at her before my brow creases in confusion. "Wait…you used the word 'too'. Who else is gay?"

Now it's her turn to blush as she nervously fiddles with a bracelet on her hand. "Ah…I can't tell you. He thinks I don't know. And it wouldn't be fair of me to give away his secret."

I nod. "Fair enough."

We pause our conversation for a moment, simply gazing out at the water. Admiring the pure beauty of the scene.

Suddenly Anita turns to look at me. "What do you think of Lloyd, Amir?"

My face flushes again, giving me away in an instant. "Why do you ask?"

She tilts her head and looks at me. "Just curious. I saw you guys talking at the bazaar the other day, though I didn't hear what you were saying. He just seemed to be smiling a lot. And Lloyd told me afterwards that you'd paid double the price for some gems he sold." She smiles softly in regret. "Put him over me in the competition."

I raise an eyebrow at the mention of a competition, but she doesn't elaborate. Instead, she simply looks at me.

I rub the back of my neck. "Eh…I'm not too sure actually. I haven't really had the time to talk to the guy and get to know him." I glance over at her. "You know what I mean?"

She nods and looks back out at the water. "Yeah. I know what you mean."

I smile at her and gently wrap my arm around her shoulder, giving her a light squeeze of a hug before unwrapping my arm. "It'll be okay dear. Whatever it is you're worrying about will turn out fine."

She smiles softly without turning to look at me. "I'm just worried about him. He's always so alone, and most of the other townspeople don't talk to him much. He's my best friend, and I just want him to be happy."

"I'm sure he will be." I tell her softly, an image of those soft amethyst eyes filling up my mind's eye. "You just have to give it time."

That's what I would do. I would take my own advice and just give Lloyd some time to think things over. I could be patient…at least for a little while longer.


	9. Winter 9th

**A/N: Wow, I haven't updated ANYTHING in such a long time. I don't think i can apologize enough. So I wrote you a longer chapter than normal, with a little bit more fluff. :D I would like the thank XamierTheNobody for the review that really kicked me into motion to write this chapter for you all. So, i hope you all appreciate and love this chapter, and hopefully your amazing reviews will help me motivate myself into writing the next chapter! :)**

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**Wednesday, Winter 9****th**

**Lloyd**

"Ughhh…" I moan and roll over in my bed. My head felt horrible. It felt as if there was a little mini person running around inside my head, pounding on my cranium with a sledgehammer.

Groggily, I slide my legs over the edge of my bed and slip my feet into my moccasins. I look up and immediately groan, pressing a hand gingerly to my temple. Stretching out my back, my chest seizes up and I start violently coughing, curling into myself as I do so.

"Ughhh…" I groan out, my eyes half-open slits as I glance at my clock.

8:57am.

My eyes blink tiredly at the time. Something was wrong…I wipe the back of my hand across my forehead, barely surprised at the perspiration that sticks to my skin.

Suddenly it hits me that I'm supposed to be in the city.

"Shit." I scramble up from my bed as a wave of nausea flows over me, making me drop to my knees as the room spins around me.

Pausing for a moment, I hold out my hands to steady myself as I rise off the ground, using objects around me to keep myself up as I trudge to my living room, scrambling to grab the papers I had to turn in to my trader today.

Somehow I manage to grab my papers and get myself out of the house without falling to the ground again. My head throbs violently as the bright outside world attacks my senses. A light snowfall seems to blur the street barely a foot in front of me.

I sniffle, feeling something dripping from my nose and rubbing my nose against my shoulder in response. My body lurches forward as a sneeze escapes my body, making me stumble in my path.

"Accckk!" I yelp out as I fall face first in the snow, eating a mouthful of the white substance upon impact.

A moment later my body starts to shiver. I don't feel cold, but I can see the goose bumps on my arms. I know that I should probably get up and keep moving, but the cold just feels so refreshing to my burning temperature.

My eyes flutter closed, turning my attention from the white world to the dark black behind my eyelids. Hmmm….I think I could fall asleep here….

"Lloyd?"

One of my eyes opens slightly, barely anything more than a slit. I can make out a hazy purple shape before my eye slips shut again and my world fades around me.

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**Ivan**

"Lloyd?" I repeat, almost to myself, as I stare at the human body lying in the snow. There's no response, and after a moment's pause, I drop my books to the ground and crouch down in the snow to try and pick him up.

I grunt under the force of his weight as I slide my arms under his armpits, heaving him up off the ground.

"Ugh." I grunt as I try and hoist him up, even as his wet body tries to resist by slipping out of my grasp.

Quietly I grumble under my breath, "Lloyd, it'd be great if you could help me out a little bit here."

Unfortunately it seems like he's unconscious, so I highly doubt he heard me. What really puzzled me was why on earth he was out in the freezing cold in nothing but a pair of boxers and shoes.

"Lloyd?"

I glance up when I hear a voice, squinting to a see a figure appear through the snowfall. The dark skin and snow-white hair instantly remind me of the newcomer Anita was telling me about the other day.

"Amir?"

He walks up to us, his hand shading his eyes. "Yes?"

"Brilliant, here…" I shove Lloyd's body on him before I can drop him. "Don't drop him."

Amir grunts, his face suddenly flushed and a shocked expression covering his face as he struggles under Lloyd's body for a moment. He grunts again, slips one hand under his back and the other under his knees, hoisting Lloyd's body up against his chest.

I stand there panting, staring at him. Why hadn't I thought of that? That's got to be a much easier way to carry a person.

Straightening my back, I groan as it cracks. I'm really not the hard labor type. Thank god I've got my brain.

"What happened to him?" Amir looks at me intently, holding Lloyd's unconscious body close to his chest.

I shrug, picking my books up off the ground and dusting the snow off them. "No idea. I was on my way to the city when I came across him in the snow." I notice some stray papers stuck in the snow, and I bend down to pick them up. My eyes quickly scan the words, easily recognizing the Spanish.

Standing up straight, I tuck the papers under my arm. I knew Lloyd's trader, I'd make sure he got the papers. "I'm guessing that he woke up feeling bad and tried to get to town anyway."

I gesture to the papers tucked safely between my books. "Lloyd goes into town on Tuesdays and Wednesdays to do paperwork and pick up items that he sells at the Bazaar." I look at Lloyd pitifully. The man was going to work himself into the ground someday. I wish would have someone to take care of him…

Suddenly I feel as if a light bulb went off in my head. Lloyd's words from when I talked to him the other day float through my head, _"I don't even know. I feel all weird inside, and I get so nervous...and, I can't help but smile all the time...and I think about them all the time..." _I glance up at Amir and find him looking down at Lloyd's face in concern. Quickly, a flash of a conversation Anita had with me last night crosses through my thoughts.

_"Hey Ivan, what do you think about gay people?" Anita asks me the question out of thin air from where we sit in the living room of my house. She's slouched in an armchair two times her size, and has been chewing on the end of a pencil for the past ten minutes._

_ I look at her quizzically, tucking my pen behind my ear and leaning back against my own chair, the papers I was grading resting on my lap. "I have no problem with them. Love is love as far as I'm concerned. Why?"_

_ Horror grips at my heart for a moment. "You're not coming out to me are you?"_

_ Anita laughs, that sweet little laugh of hers that I can't help but smile at. I glance at her lips before my eyes go back to hers. God, I'd love to kiss her._

_ "No, I'm not a lesbian. A friend of mine is gay, and I think he has a crush on Amir. You know, the new guy staying at the hotel? White hair, super dark skin?" Anita pauses for a moment before continuing. "And I was just talking with Amir earlier, and I'm pretty sure he likes my friend too." She grins, confident, as she leans back into her chair, her legs crossing in a very lady-like fashion. "And you know how good my intuition is."_

_ I pause a moment, processing this information. "So…what do you want me to do?"_

_ She shrugs her shoulders slightly. "Just…if you can find any way to help Amir out, I'd really appreciate it. My friend hasn't really been himself lately, and I think a little happiness would do him good."_

Suddenly the pieces click together. Why hadn't I seen it before? Lloyd was the friend Anita was talking about! I almost laugh out loud. Even as my thoughts are still processing, my mouth starts speaking.

"Hey Amir, do you know where Lloyd lives?"

Amir shakes his head. "No idea."

I hide a slight smirk. "Alright, would you mind walking with me? We'll walk back to his house and put him to bed."

Amir nods curtly, holding Lloyd a little closer to his body. "After you."

I smile at him and begin walking through the snow next to Amir as we begin the short trek back to Lloyd's house. We trudge through the snow, completely comfortable in the silence, nothing but the slight whistle of the wind echoing around us.

After a few minutes of comfortable silence, I see Lloyd's house through the falling snow. The hammock sways in the wind, snow falling right through the holes.

As we approach the house, Amir suddenly speaks up. "This is Lloyd's house?"

I nod. "Yep. It's much nicer in the summer though, when you can sleep on the hammock with being covered in snow." I chuckle to myself as I step up to the front door and try the handle. Surprise, surprise, it opens easily to my touch.

"Come on, let's get him out of the cold before he catches hypothermia." I remark as I hold the door open, shivering as the warmth from Lloyd's home begins to seem into my bones even through my jacket.

Amir carefully carries Lloyd through the door, and I can't help but chuckle at the delicate care he takes, making sure Lloyd's head doesn't hit anything, or in anyway jostle him so that he wakes up.

I shut the door behind him, blocking the bitter winter air from reaching us. I breathe out a sigh of relief and give Amir a smile. "Come on, his bedroom is this way."

I show Amir to the back of the house, noticing how much of a mess it's in compared to how it usually is.

We enter the backroom and I gesture to the bed. "Just set him down in there." Amir moves without a word to follow my instructions, gently placing Lloyd down on the bed, and I pretend not to notice him taking off Lloyd's shoes before covering his body in the quilt that was on his bed.

"Oh, Amir?" I speak the man's name in order to catch his attention. He turns to look at me, question in his expression. "Can you do me another favour?"

"Sure." Amir nods. "What is it?"

I glance at Lloyd and then back at Amir, knowing I'm taking a risk in doing this, but bracing myself to do it anyway; because Anita asked me to help them, and if it'll make Anita happy, then by God I'm going to help them. But I would do it even if she hadn't asked. Because Anita was right; Lloyd did deserve to be happy.

"Lloyd will probably be very confused when he wakes up, and we don't want him to pull another stunt like that again. He might not be as lucky as he was this time." I pause a moment. "I'd like for you to stay here, and when he wakes up, explain to him that I'd got his papers and I'm going to take them to his trader. Keep him warm, and if he's sick when he wakes up, I know Lloyd has some soup in the kitchen you can heat up and give to him." I pause again as Amir glances at Lloyd, and I can practically see his face turn a darker shade.

"Can you do that for me?" I prod softly; hoping things will go as I want them to.

Amir glances back to me and nods. "I can do that."

I smile at him, hoping that I've done some good here. "Thanks Amir. I'll see you later." I turn on my heel to leave, glancing at my watch and noticing that I was running a little late now.

A voice calls out. "Wait, I never got your name."

I turn around and smile. "My name is Ivan. I'll be seeing you around town then Amir."

I catch a smile on his face as I leave.

* * *

**Lloyd**

"Ughhh…" I moan and roll over in my bed. Woah…weird sense of déjà vu right there. My eyes blink open and I glance at the clock.

5:39pm

I stare at the clock for a moment. Wasn't it just…wasn't it just nine o'clock? Slowly, I sit up in my bed, rubbing my eyes as my head begins to gently throb.

"Hey there sleepy head. How're you doing?"

My eyes snap wide open, and my head turns in almost slow motion to see Amir sitting in a wooden chair, smiling at me.

I blink at him. And I blink at him again. "Am I hallucinating?"

He shakes his head, and I can't help but stare at those blue, blue eyes of his as he starts talking. "No, Ivan and I found you faceplanted in the snow, so we brought you back here. He told me to tell you that he's taking your papers to your trader." He pauses a moment to bend over and pick something up off the floor. "Here, he said to make you eat some soup when you woke up. He hypothesized that you might be sick, and I agree with him, so here."

He passes me the bowl of soup, which I carefully take with my hands, shocked into silence and obedience. Then he passes me a spoon, which I carefully take, and slowly begin to eat the soup.

The warmth from the soup spills down the inside of my throat, and I close my eyes as I savour the warmth the soup provides, as well as the simple flavour of noodle soup.

"Thank you." I mumble, giving Amir a small smile, no longer confused as to why he was here, and actually slightly pleased that he was here.

He smiles back at me. "So, did you wake up sick or something?"

I nod. "Yeah, I feel better now, but I woke up this morning with a pounding headache and feeling like a wanted to throw up."

He winces. "That's a real shame, but I'm glad you're feeling better." He smiles and ducks his head slightly, and I take the opportunity to eat some more soup.

The room fills with silence, and I can tell by the way Amir is fidgeting with his hands that he feels a little awkward. I take another gulp of soup, bracing myself for my apology to Amir.

"Hey Amir…" I pause as his bright blue eyes meet mine, and I take a deep breath, feeling my heart pounding in my throat. "I'm sorry for running out on you the other day."

Amir smiles. "Thank you for apologizing Lloyd. I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable."

I shake my head. "No, no, no. It's not that you made me uncomfortable, it's just that…" I pause. What was it…? _I like you…_

"Just that…?" Amir looks at me, leaning closer slightly, his blue eyes practically hypnotizing.

_I like you…_ The words are on the tip of my tongue, but I swallow them back down. I'm not ready to admit something like that.

"It's just that…." What the hell am I going to say? My mind searches around frantically for something to say, anything to throw him off.

"You feel something…?" The man sitting in front of me utters the words softly, looking at me with gentle eyes.

I swallow hard, looking up into his eyes. I lick my lips, realizing that's a bad move when I catch his eyes flickering down to my lips.

I quickly pick up my spoon and start slurping down more of the soup, almost burning my throat in the process.

I glance to the side to see Amir patiently watching me. Letting out a deep breath, I place the bowl of soup on my bedside table and look directly at him.

"I feel…something." My eyes connect with his. "I'm not exactly sure what it is, but I know…I like hanging around you. You're fun to talk to."

"I like hanging around you too Lloyd." Amir smiles softly at me. "If you wouldn't mind…I'd like to hang around some more."

I smile at that. "I think I'd like that."

Our eyes connect again, and I swear some sort of understanding passes through us.

I swallow again, nerves suddenly flaring up again. "I think…" I lick my lips again from the nerves, debating over everything. But my instincts kick in and I speak anyway. "I think I might like you a bit."

I swear his grin is going to break his face. "Really?"

I look down; I can feel my face heating up. A moment later I feel cool fingers gripping my chin and gently urging me to look up. My heart skips a beat when I notice how close his face is to mine. I can see little golden flecks in his blue eyes, adding to their allure. My eyes drop down quickly to his lips, and oh wow they look so inviting… My eyes snap back to his eyes when I realize what I'm doing.

He smiles softly at me. "I think I like you too Lloyd."

I'm about to break out into a huge grin when I notice that his face is moving closer. Quickly I pull away.

I see the hurt in his face, so I quickly explain. "Slow. I'd like to move slowly. Please?"

Amir nods and leans back, sitting properly in his chair, ghost of a smile on his face. "I'm alright with that. Just tell me when you're ready for the next step."

I smile at him and pick up my bowl of soup, slurping down the warm liquid. Amir tilts his head slightly. "So…this makes us…?"

I look over at him, look over into those deep blue eyes of his. What did I want from him? Did I want a friendship? A relationship? I said I wanted to move slowly…but where to start?

"How about…" I start, thinking as I eat another spoonful of noodles. "How about we start as friends, and see how it goes from there?"

I catch him hiding a grimace. "I think that'll be fine." He leans back in his chair and I continue to eat my soup in silence, pondering on if I really wanted to wait before I kissed him.


End file.
